Since the beginning of time, there has been but one rule among men: release GPL source code on time. For those who choose to ignore this rule, terrible things ensue; most of which are so horrific, I dare not speak the details. The code has always been upheld by the law, but one foul beast has found a way to circumvent the system and hold the source for weeks, even months, too long: HTC.

Developments in the Apple v HTC patent war are coming in fast and it looks like things are heating up.

In a preliminary ruling (discussed further in our earlier article) the US International Trade Commission (ITC) found HTC liable for infringing Apple’s patents. Google’s executive chairman then hit back with his view on Apple’s strategy of litigating its competition into oblivion.

But, now Bloomberg is reporting that an unsealed (not made public) ruling dating back to July 1 may have turned the tide in favour of HTC.

About a week ago, a seemingly official build of Gingerbread for the T-Mobile G2 found its way to T-Mo's support forums, suggesting an update was fast approaching. That suggestion was dead-on, as the official over-the-air update process started today, according to the Pinkest Carrier's G2 update page.

We finally have a bit more info about the mysterious HTC Vigor - a device that we previously only knew about thanks to a leaked image taken by its 6MP camera. Now, though, this device is coming into the light a bit more, thanks to A NenaMark benchmark ran by an "anonymous" submitter. We now have a better idea of what this handset may be packing under the hood, and it sounds quite pleasing:

1280x720 display (!)

Qualcomm Adreno GPU

1.5GHz processor (it's not clear whether it's dual-core or not, but we're hoping that it is)

Android 2.3.4

It appears to be running on Verizon's network

While this handset may sound pretty great, make a mental note that these types of benchmarks are fairly easy to spoof, so take it all with a grain of salt until we get more proof it its reality.

Following our report in May of the upcoming HTC tablet named after the celebrated Italian composer Puccini, BGR has gotten its hands on some exclusive images of the device itself.

The first of the two high-res press shots grabbed by BGR features the front of the 10" tablet in what appears to be a bespoke case with a stylus and holder. The second image shows off the rear of the tablet which appears to be sporting an 8 MP camera, dual-LED flash, and stereo speakers and a mic.

The T-Mobile G2 has seen its fair share of ups and downs, teases, and leaks of Gingerbread, but it appears the time of release is nearly upon us. A user over at the T-Mobile support forums has dropped a leaked version of the official Gingerbread build for the G2 for all to download and install. The post puts strong emphasis on the fact that this is the exact same version that ended up on some refurbished handsets - so I assume that it's the real deal.

The recently-announced HTC myTouch 4G Slide that's set to land on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network sometime this month has already fallen victim to Wirefly's crazy price-slashing mania that they company is so well known for. Right now, you can pre-order the myTouch 4G Slide for $150, which is $50 less than Team Magenta is selling the handset for.

The myTouch 4G Slide is HTC's latest entry into the 'superphone' market, with some pretty impressive specs:

1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor

3.7" SLCD 800 x 480 display

768MB RAM

8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash

1080p video capture

Full QWERTY keyboard

HSPA+ connectivity

Android 2.3 with Sense 3.0

While those specs are about as high-end as they come on modern smartphones, they're not the only thing that sets the myTouch 4G Slide apart, as HTC also added some flare to the camera itself:

If you're a myTouch 4G user, we have some great news to bring to you today! A post has been written on the T-Mobile support forums announcing that the Gingerbread rollout will begin with a limited pilot starting from today, and it will reach all myTouch 4G users by the end of this year.

According to the post, "a broader rollout to myTouch 4G customers will begin in the coming weeks" so if you aren't rocking Gingerbread this week, be patient!

Us Brits are pretty hard off when it comes to data plans. Tariffs may not be as expensive as they are in the States, but you can expect to have a pretty tight data allowance when you purchase a smartphone on this side of the pond.

Although most carriers don't allow more than a few GB per month, Three UK has recently launched the One plan, which offers truly unlimited data on all plans which are £35 a month.